**Wealth Management in a Diverse World** is the theme for the second annual Nassau Conference which will be held February 7 and 8, 2006.

The event, which attracted nearly 150 delegates in its inaugural year, will bring to Nassau a number of top professionals to address a broad range of issues and opportunities facing the jurisdiction and its financial services industry.

Speakers include:

• **Sir Callum McCarthy, Chairman of the Financial Services Authority in the UK**, who will address Regulatory Risks in Current Markets

• **Winston Cox, Commonwealth Deputy Secretary General**, addressing Free Market Access

• **Katinka Barysch, Chief Economist, Centre for European Reform**, who will discuss Doing Business in Eastern Europe

• **Fernando Perez Hickman, Managing Director, Banco Santander International**, who will discuss Trends in Latin America Private Banking

• **William Seidman, Chief Commentator, CNBC**, who will address Navigating the Washington Beltway

• **Thomas Cash, Executive Managing Director, Kroll Inc.**, who will address Risk Management

• **Jeremy Arnold, Partner, Withers LLP**, who will address Structures and

• **John Shu, Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP**, who will address Opportunities in China.

**Timothy Baswell Donaldson**, former Bahamas Ambassador to the United States, will provide the Conference wrap up.

*“We are very excited with the roster of speakers who have agreed to participate in the Conference”*, said Robert Lotmore, Chairman of the Association of International Banks and Trust Companies in The Bahamas (AIBT), the Founding Partner for the Conference. *“As a leading international financial centre it is important for us to not only continually sharpen our technical skills but also to understand the dynamics shaping global markets. We believe the Conference accomplishes this goal and hope our professional community will take advantage of this opportunity.”*

The Hon. Allyson Maynard-Gibson, Minister of Financial Services & Investments (MFSI), said The Nassau Conference recognizes an important element in MFSI’s Strategic Plan for Financial Services: professional development. *“Both government and industry must do their part to ensure we continue to nurture and develop the expertise and skill sets that will allow us to remain the wealth management leader in the region and competitive on a global basis. On behalf of the Government, I would like to commend and thank AIBT and other sponsors for supporting the Conference,”*said the Minister.

Conference Chairman Andrew Law said the strong sponsorship support for the Conference is recognition of its importance to the financial services community. *“We have an outstanding group of Bahamian companies and organizations who are supporting the Conference with their sponsorship,”* Mr. Law said. *“They deserve to be recognized and congratulated for providing the resources to make it possible for an event of this caliber to take place in The Bahamas.”*

The Central Bank of the Bahamas is the Presenting Sponsor for the Conference; Pictet Bank and Trust is the Platinum Sponsor; SG Hambros Bank and Trust (Bahamas) Ltd, FirstCaribbean International Bank (Bahamas) Ltd. and the Bahamas Financial Services Board are Gold Sponsors. Silver sponsors include: Butterfield Bank (Bahamas) Limited; Cable Bahamas; Lombard Odier Darier Hentsch Private Bank & Trust Limited; Santander Bank and Trust Ltd; and Microgen. The Media Sponsor is xalt.tv.

The Conference will take place at the British Colonial Hilton. Early bird registration fee for the Conference is $650 (U.S.) for registrations before January 6, 2006. The fee is $800 after January 6. Conference details and registration information are available on the conference web site. *(see link below)*

In addition to Mr. Law from The International Protector Group, Conference Steering Committee members include Jose Gonzalez de Castejon, Santander Bank and Trust; Wendy Warren, Bahamas Financial Services Board; Ian Fair, The Bank of Nova Scotia Trust Company (Bahamas) Limited; Michael Paton, Lennox Paton; and Judith Whitehead, Graham Thompson Co. Ltd.

The AIBT was established in 1976 to represent the International Banks and Trust Companies operating from The Bahamas. The Association is funded by its members and works with them to promote professional standards in the industry and continued success and understanding of the banking sector.